Retaining walls are important in holding back dirt as it’s basically a structure that holds soil behind it. But not only that, it’s also commonly used in multi-level garden perimeters, landscaping, and even for aesthetic purposes. Retaining walls can be made in different materials, like wood which is perfect for timber sleeper walls. It can also be made from concrete and stone to build rock/boulder walls. Some are made with larger materials like wood or concrete panels, which is ideal for panel post retaining walls. If you’re looking for high quality and affordable retaining walls, you may want to check Rock Walls Melbourne for options. If you’re dabbling into landscaping and thought you wanted to improve your retaining walls for a change, here are 4 tips to using them creatively:
- Modern landscape with stone walls
If you’ve got a traditional backyard with lush bushes, roses, and a pretty garden set, adorning it with short stone walls would be perfect. Using natural stone would be ideal for this because it’s very sturdy, durable, and offers a texture that plays well with a romantic garden. You can use limestone, sandstone, granite or slate, they’re all popular choices for building garden stone walls. You can explore which ones would look good in your yard, and consider how well it would play with your existing landscape.
- Multi-level timber wall
Timber retaining walls are perfect for landscaping a sloped yard and giving your garden a unique and strong presence. The first thing to do when building a retaining wall is to plan your wall. Measure the area in which you are to build your wall. Include the sides as well as this would determine the amount of material you need. After measuring, calculate how much timber you’ll need for the project. There’s a lot of readily available pressure-treated lumber in home improvement centers. Once you got all your materials, the next step would be to excavate the area and build the foundation row. It’s important to level the trench carefully so you won’t have a hard time installing the first row of timbers for foundation. When you’re done with laying out all the timber pieces, you can finally paint or stain them according to taste.
- Add a water feature in your wall
Make your retaining wall more interesting by integrating a water feature on it. Garden waterfalls gives off a relaxing and therapeutic feeling, perfect for de-stressing after a long day’s work. It adds more value to your outdoor living space and definitely ups it by a notch in terms of beauty and aesthetic. There are many types of water feature you can install in your wall. You can add an in-wall waterfall that flows smoothly from a spillway installed inside the wall. You can also try a pondless waterfall for a more natural look. Here, water flows over a terraced landscape onto a pebbled surface that absorbs water and drains it down a concealed basin.
- Experiment with curved design
Aligning blocks to form a curved retaining wall may look like a challenge, but it’s definitely an interesting and unique sight for a garden. It’s attractive, functional, and offers a seamless strength not present other types of retaining walls. Using curves adds curb appeal to your home. They’re effective in highlighting raised patios and flowing gardens, and looks perfect with a water feature as well. They come together easily and is simple enough to build. You’ll definitely love the added dimension installing a curved retaining wall would give.
